


Croaker

by charlotte123456789



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Best Friends, Cane Toads, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pets, Sad times, bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29378532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlotte123456789/pseuds/charlotte123456789
Summary: "They didn't even bother coming to get me. They really did mean it when they said that they were done with me."
Relationships: Sirius Black & James Potter
Kudos: 3





	Croaker

James jumped off the train, leaving his luggage behind, and sprinted towards his parents to have a whispered conversation with them before the masses started crowding around them.

It was the first day of the summer holidays, the train ride home had been just as long and tedious as usual with the summer sun heating up the train. You had to wonder why they didn’t use magic to put air conditioning in.

But now, at the station, he had to talk to his parents. It was not the ideal place to talk, nor was it his preference, but time was of the essence.

“Mum, Dad. We need to take Sirius home with us. Please just say yes and I’ll explain everything properly later at home. But we need to take him with us.”

Both his parents looked confused and weren’t used to the serious tone in their son’s voice, they were more used to the childish pranks and the laughter that went with him.

James watched as they exchanged glances before his father spoke, “Okay, Son. But we will need to talk properly.” 

James nodded before wandering off to find Sirius and his bags.

He’d found his bags first, luckily nobody had moved them from where he had left them on the train. Next thing to do was to find Sirius.

He drifted around the station trying to find him.

It took him another ten minutes to finally spot the lone figure sitting on the bench with bags piled beside them.

“Sirius!” The figure looked up. It was him.

James ran over and quietly sat beside him. It _was_ Sirius sat on the bench, bags stacked haphazardly on top of one another beside him as he stared off into the distance. Looking so different to the normally exuberant friend that James was used to.

“They didn’t even bother coming to get me. They really did mean it when they said that they were done with me.” Sirius spoke quietly and James heard his voice break at the end. The truth of the situation finally hit him now; it was so real, not just messages sent to him whilst he was far away at school.

“Come with me, Siri, come home with me and we can figure all this out later. Okay?”

James watched as Sirius nodded silently. He grabbed both their luggage and corralled Sirius back over to where his parents were still patiently waiting. James could see that neither knew quite how to approach this more quiet and reserved Sirius, and he could see already that it was going to be a long conversation.

Upon finally getting home, James showed Sirius up to the room that they had shared the previous times that he had visited, now to be his permanent abode. James watched as Sirius perched on the bed and uttered quietly, “I think I’m just gonna have a rest now, okay?”

James nodded, “You know where everything is, feel free to help yourself.” He left the room hoping to give Sirius some space to process what had happened.

As expected, when he went downstairs his parents were already waiting for an explanation. He sat down heavily on the sofa and sighed.

“Over the past few months, Sirius had been getting letters, letters from his family, I mean. They were saying that he wasn’t welcome anymore and that he shouldn’t bother coming home. I mean, I thought they were fake, we thought they were fake, that they were just bluffing. That they just wanted to put more pressure onto him to be a better Pureblood. But then before we left, Regulus came and said goodbye and why would he say goodbye as they were going home together. Then he was getting a portkey back and Sirius wasn’t welcome, he asked if he’d received the letters. Why didn’t I think they were real? Why didn’t I do something sooner? Anything sooner?”

James drifted off sobbing as he welcomed the warm embrace of his mother’s hug. He could feel both of their eyes cutting into him and knew that they were having a silent conversation about all of this right now but he was just too tired to care.

“Why can’t they just accept him for who he is? Why? Why are they so cruel?” James half-shouted, but still wanting to keep his voice quiet so as not to disturb Sirius. He had been through enough today and didn’t need James waking him up as well.

His father finally spoke, obviously having concluded the conversation with his mother. “Son, I can’t begin to guess why some people act that way, and obviously Sirius is welcome to stay. But you can’t focus on the past, the what-if’s, the maybe’s, you'll drown in the misery of regret and self-wallowing. You can’t change the past but you can help his future.”

It seemed so easy to hear his father speak of it, to know that he should focus on the future, both of them sharing a house and getting to do what they now wanted. But he couldn’t help but feel like a bad friend, for not doing anything sooner, for not inviting him in sooner so that this wouldn’t have been such a shock. All the thoughts swirling round in his head of things he should have done, that he now regretted not doing were giving him a serious headache.

“I need to go shopping,” James suddenly blurted out.

The change of topic threw both parents slightly, but they were well used to these types of things with their son.

“What do we need?” his mother asked him carefully. Pranking supplies to cheer up Sirius or dark artifacts to curse Sirius’ family? Both could be possible options for James to choose from although if it were the second, he would be receiving a stern talking to. Violence was never the answer.

“A toad.”

Sirius woke up in a dark room. It took him a moment to remember exactly where he was but then all that had happened in the past few hours crashed into him like a tidal wave. His family really had just abandoned him with no care as to what he did next.

He was truly on his own.

He was lying there contemplating that fact when James burst in. Sunlight entered and he shut his eyes against the blinding white light, then opened them abruptly to stare down at just what was in his hands.

James had deposited something heavy and slimy into them.

He had to blink a few times to properly see. 

It was a giant Cane Toad. Native to South America they were the world's largest toad and could emit poisonous toxins when stressed.

He had begged for one when his Hogwarts list had come and he had seen that toads were allowed. But no Black heir would ever be allowed to have something so plebeian as a toad, he was given an owl. It was already named Hunter. It hated him, would never let him send any letters and upon trying to pet him once he had nearly lost his fingers. It had never been his pet and was probably the one thing he didn’t miss having to deal with now he was no longer at home.

He stared down at the toad in his lap, then stared at James, then looked back at the toad, then looked back at James.

“What is this?” He was very confused as to why there was a giant Cane toad now sitting in his lap.

“He’s yours, if you want him. I mean, you told me about them back in first year, and you can live here now, if you want, and you can keep him here as well. You can have whatever you want here if you want, you know, to make this your house and build it into your home?”

Sirius stared at James as he stumbled his way through the speech. Nobody had ever done anything like this for him before.

He blinked and his eyes jumped back down to the toad in his lap that was now croaking happily.

“Thanks, James. I think I’ll name him Croaker.”

James smiled. Sirius gave him a small smile back. It may be a difficult time but he had James and Croaker by his side.


End file.
